JD KIRK has been very busy. The multi-award-winning bestselling author, based in the Highlands, has written over 200 books, including more than 20 selfpublished crime thrillers. As his latest, The One That Got Away, hits the shelves, I caught up with the author to find out about his incredible career and the secret to his self-publishing success.
"I started self-publishing by accident really," JD tells me. "I was originally a children's author writing under my real name of Barry Hutchison. I'd been writing full-time for 10 years, but most children's authors don't make a huge amount of money from their books. One day I was asked to go into a high school and talk about ways in which kids could publish their own work. At the time, I had no idea how - so I decided to find out.
"I'd had this idea for a while for a comedy science fiction novel for adults called Space Team. I'd never done anything with it, because I'd been so busy with the kids' books, so I decided to write it and self-publish it as an experiment." JD wrote the book within three weeks and put it up on Kindle.
"I went away on holiday and by the time I came back two weeks later, the book was outselling all of my children's books. I went, 'OK, this is interesting!' By the time I'd written the third book in the series, I was making more in one day from those three books than I was making from 170 kids' books from multiple different publishers in six months."
Self-publishing also gave him the freedom to write anything he wanted.
"When you're traditionally published, you've got editors and sales and marketing departments who want a say in what you're writing about. Maybe they want you to include a unicorn because they're big at the moment or they'd like you to shove a talking cat into your story! They want you to create something that they think they can sell, which makes sense; they are a business.
This story is from the July 2023 edition of The Scots Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2023 edition of The Scots Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Scot Going Places
Ayrshire lad Hugh Allan built a transport and finance empire in his adopted home of Montreal, and survived a political scandal
Into The Woods
Maverick Gary Munday is scaling new heights in conservation
- FROM THE – VAULT
Strange tales from the archives. This month, troubles brew during Perth's seventh lean harvest
Hero In The Making
A fiery process of transformation reveals the true and complex character of Bladnoch's The Dragon Series
Sonic Inspirations
Harpist Esther Swift on the fun and the fury behind creativity
Chapter And Verse
As she launches her second children’s book, author Nadine Aisha Jassat shares her poetry-writing evolution and novel inspirations
Beavers By Moonlight
Once away from the shadow of the hill, Jim's infinite patience is rewarded with the memorable moment he has been waiting for
The Ideal Host
Euro 2024 host Germany promises a feast of football, fun and culture for visiting fans
The World At Her Feet
With no women’s game at home, Rose Reilly helped Italy win the World Cup
Tartan Army On Tour
Scotland’s fans have travelled the world, but for this younger generation, the Euros in Germany is the tournament they've all been waiting for
